Departmental NDPBs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 51-52WS, on DCMS engagement, what changes are planned to the regional structures of  (a) the Arts Council,  (b) Sports England,  (c) English Heritage and  (d) Museum, Libraries and Archives Councils.

Barbara Follett: The right hon. Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge), explained in a written ministerial statement of 2 July 2008, the precise nature of the new arrangements in each region will be negotiated regionally by the directors of the four key public bodies. She asked the four chief executives to present as soon as possible their proposals for how the new arrangements for culture will work in the regions following the wind up of the regional cultural consortiums on 31 March 2009.
	My Department is committed to continuous improvement in delivery of public services to citizens and to providing value for money to taxpayers. To this end our NDPBs review their structures from time to time and as a result of such reviews, the following changes are proposed or being taken forward:
	Sport England is proposing to replace Regional Sports Boards with a ministerial nominee in each of their 9 regions. The Nominee will act as an advocate for community sport. A decision on the London Regional Sports Board will be made following discussions with the Mayor.
	The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is reconfiguring as a single national agency with its head office functions in Birmingham. The unified MLA will then have the capacity to deploy up to 30 staff nationwide in flexible regional action teams.
	Arts Council of England, as part of the review of support services, will move 60 staff from the London National Office to the North West Regional Office.

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Solicitor-General how many and what proportion of staff in the Attorney-General's Office are disabled; and what the average salary in the Office is of  (a) full-time disabled staff,  (b) full-time non-disabled staff,  (c) part-time disabled staff and  (d) part-time non-disabled staff.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, column 652W.

Powers of Entry

James Duddridge: To ask the Solicitor-General what  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation sponsored by the Attorney-General's Office has (i) amended and (ii) enhanced powers of entry since May 1997.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Home Office (Mr. Coaker) on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W.

Gyms

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many gymnasiums operated for the use of staff members his Department funds.

Gareth Thomas: BERR's gymnasium is funded by Minerva, the in-house sports and social association, from membership subscriptions not from the departmental budget.

Trust Schools

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in the development of trust schools; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: 106 schools have already become trust schools, the large majority of them in collaborative trusts with other schools. And last month I announced a further 65 schools have successfully applied to enter the trust schools programme. This brings the total number of schools seeking to apply trust status to 378, including three national challenge trusts I expect a further round of application from schools at the end of November 2008.

Sandhill View School: Sunderland, South

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will visit Sandhill View School in Sunderland South constituency to discuss its standards.

Edward Balls: I understand that Sandhill View school has made excellent progress in the proportion of students gaining five or more good GCSEs including English and mathematics, and I congratulate the school's staff and students on their success in the past year and wish them well for this academic year. I hope that my diary will permit me to visit the school when I am next in the area.

Academy School: Wirral, South

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether there are plans to introduce an academy school in Wirral South constituency.

Jim Knight: My Department is not aware of any plans to introduce an academy school in the Wirral South constituency.

Paracetamol: Children

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what investigations his Department plans to undertake to evaluate the possible effects on children of taking paracetamol suspension type medicines;
	(2)  whether his Department will be introducing new guidelines for the retailing of paracetamol suspensions.

Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines in the United kingdom and, where necessary, takes suitable action to safeguard public health.
	As new evidence comes to light, the MHRA seeks advice on safety issues from its independent scientific advisory group—the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM). If action is needed, following an assessment of the risks and benefits of the medicine, then a number of regulatory options are available, including: withdrawal of a product from the market; and, amending the labelling and Patient Information Leaflet (PIL).
	In relation to the use of paracetamol in children, a paper was published in  The Lancet on 20 September 2008 which explored the possible link between asthma in children aged six-seven years and earlier use of paracetamol. This issue has previously been considered on a number of occasions by the predecessor to CHM, the Committee on Safety of Medicines, and its Sub-Committee on Pharmacovigilance, which concluded that a causal relationship had not been established. The data from the most recent paper is under careful consideration by the CHM, and appropriate regulatory action, including the issuing of guidance, will be taken if necessary in the light of the advice obtained.

Patient Choice Schemes

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Choose and Book service; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the effectiveness of choose and book.
	The Department does collect data on the number of general practitioner referrals to first out-patient services booked via choose and book each month. The end of month position for August 2008 showed that 49 per cent. of all out-patient referrals were made through the choose and book system.
	To date over 10 million patients have been referred through choose and book of which over 8.5 million have been referred to out-patient care.
	Trusts using choose and book are reporting significant improvements in operational efficiency and service delivery. For example, Kettering General Hospitals NHS Trust reported that choose and book helped to cut their missed hospital appointments by approximately a third.

Children: Protection

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy, acting as central authority under the Hague Convention, where a family has had further children since emigrating with one or more children subject to an interim or final care order, to seek to transfer jurisdiction for child protection to the family's current habitual residence.

Bridget Prentice: The role and functions of the Central Authority are established through International law. The Central Authority has no power to transfer jurisdiction. Only a court seized of proceedings regarding a child may do so, and then only in accordance with international law.
	Where a child is subject to an interim or final care order, and the family removes the child from the UK against the wishes of the local authority with care of the child, the local authority is entitled to use the Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction to obtain return of the child from the jurisdiction to which he or she has been taken. The Central Authority is legally obliged by that convention to transmit an application for return of the child to the jurisdiction to which the child has been taken. These matters are not susceptible to policy review because they arise as a result of the UK's international legal obligations.
	Upon return of the child under the convention, the courts here have jurisdiction to deal with all issues regarding the welfare of the child, and will take into account the importance of the child's family and sibling relationships. The mechanism in the convention providing for swift return of a child wrongfully removed is important in ensuring that children's cases are heard by the courts of the jurisdiction where they are habitually resident, which will be best placed to assess the child's welfare. Further, it ensures that people cannot seek to evade proceedings and orders by removing the child to another jurisdiction in the hope of escaping the attention of the authorities or getting a more favourable outcome from the court of another country which is less well-placed to assess the child's welfare than the courts of his or her habitual residence. This is essential for child protection.
	If a parent or parents of a child subject to a care order wish to emigrate they can apply to the court prior to the emigration for an order allowing the move. In determining that decision the court can hear from all appropriate parties. If such an order is made the family is free to move and the courts of the new jurisdiction would assume jurisdiction for the child once its habitual residence was established there.

Consent to Medical Treatment: Children

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an estimate of the average age at which a child has been considered to be Gillick competent and able to instruct a solicitor in family court proceedings relating to his or her medical treatment.

Bridget Prentice: Data about cases in which children have been considered to be "Gillick competent" and able to instruct a solicitor in relation to medical treatment are not collected in a way which would enable an estimate to be provided of the average age of children in such cases.

Debt Collection: Parking Offences

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the powers bailiffs have to collect monies for unpaid parking fines under the provisions of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007.

Bridget Prentice: Bailiffs powers currently stem from common law and numerous pieces of legislation resulting in an array of mechanisms depending on the type of debt or type of agent responsible for enforcement.
	The Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 introduces a single piece of bailiff law which brings together in one place the legal structure for all warrant enforcement, written in terms that are easily understandable and which clearly outline the rights and responsibilities of creditors, debtors and enforcement agents.
	To implement these provisions, underpinning rules and regulations will be required. A recently completed scoping exercise, which involved a series of meetings with relevant stakeholders, identified issues that require further public consultation. It is anticipated that the consultation will generate representations from a wide range of stakeholders, including the enforcement industry, local authorities, other Government Departments and lobby groups. Our proposed approach to progressing this and achieving implementation of the Act is being developed and we anticipate that this part of the work will be completed shortly.
	Although formal consultation on the regulations has yet to begin, correspondence is regularly received on the enforcement reforms contained within parts 3 and 4 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act. However, due to volume, it is considered time disproportionate to review all correspondence to identify representations specific to unpaid parking fines.

Departmental Manpower

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 54-55W, on departmental manpower, 
	(1)  what records his Department's human resources department holds on the number of  (a) permanent staff without fixed posts and  (b) staff classified as priority movers;
	(2)  what records the human resources departments of his Department's agencies hold on the number of  (a) permanent staff without fixed posts and  (b) staff classified as priority movers.

Michael Wills: There are 53 MoJ permanent staff who are classified as priority movers, or who are currently without fixed posts. They are employed within the Department's agencies, including Her Majesty's Courts Service, The Tribunals Service, Office of the Public Guardian and Her Majesty's Prison Service. A break down for those currently without fixed posts are:
	
		
			   Number 
			 MOJ 19 
			 HMCS 8 
			 Tribunals Service 2 
			 HMPS 24 
		
	
	All are in active employment, and their redeployment is being managed by their line managers and the Human Resources Directorate within the Ministry of Justice, and across the wider civil service.
	Each case is actively managed in accordance with published departmental policy and procedures.

Departmental Research

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's budget and that of its predecessor was used for research within its areas of responsibility in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Wills: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   MOJ HQ  OPG  HMCS  OCJR 
			 1998-99 (1)— n/a (3)— n/a 
			 1999-2000 0.38 n/a (3)— n/a 
			 2000-01 0.36 n/a (3)— n/a 
			 2001-02 0.24 (2)— (3)— n/a 
			 2002-03 0.51 0.09 (3)— n/a 
			 2003-04 0.35 0.20 (3)— n/a 
			 2004-05 0.19 0.34 (3)— 0.04 
			 2005-06 0.19 0.40 0.07 0.18 
			 2006-07 0.25 0.14 0.08 0.51 
			 2007-08 1.65 0.08 0.12 (4)— 
			 (1 )Ministry of Justice Headquarters and Associated Offices. 1998-99 to May 2003: Lord Chancellor's Department. June 2003 to April 2007: Department for Constitutional Affairs. May 2007 to present: Ministry of Justice. The proportion of spend for 2007-08 comprises 0.32 per cent. administration expenditure and 1.33 per cent. programme expenditure.  The increase over 2006-07 reflects the creation of the new Ministry following a machinery of government change. National Offender Management Service HQ elements and Office of Criminal Justice Reform are included in the make up of the 'core Department' in the 2007-08 Resource Accounts.  Expenditure for all years is in respect of research and development. Identifying the research element could be done only at disproportionate cost.  The proportion of spend for 1998-99 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (2 )Office of the Public Guardian.  2001-02 to September 2007: Public Guardianship Office.  October 2007 to present: Office of the Public Guardian.  The Public Guardianship Office became an executive agency of the Lord Chancellor's Department in April 2001. The proportion of spend for 2001-02 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (3 )HM Courts Service.  1998-99 to 2005-06: Court Service.  2005-06 to present: HM Courts Service.  The proportion of spend for 1998-99 to 2004-05 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (4 )Office for Criminal Justice Reform.  OCJR was launched in 2004 and therefore prior year figures are unavailable. The proportion of spend for 2007-08 was 0.23 per cent. This has been consolidated with the MOJ HQ figure as OCJR was included in the 'core Department' in the 2007-08 resources accounts. 
		
	
	 Tribunals Service.
	No direct research costs have been incurred since the Tribunals Service was launched in April 2006.
	 HM Prison Service and National Probation Service.
	No direct research costs have been incurred by the HMPS and NPS as research is undertaken at NOMS HQ level.
	Research and development expenditure can be identified in the relevant Department/Agency's resource accounts available on their internet site and via the Office of Public Sector Information.
	Historic data is also collated by ONS and can be found at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/dius/science/science-funding/set-stats/index.html

Parc Young Offender Institution

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when representatives of  (a) his Department,  (b) the Youth Justice Board and  (c) the National Offender Management Service met representatives of Parc Young Offender Institution (YOI) to discuss the provision of inreach child and adolescent mental health services at Parc YOI in each of the last eight years; and when he expects such services to be provided.

David Hanson: The director of HM Prison and young offender institution Parc is responsible for the young persons' custodial facility there and during the last eight years, there have been regular meetings involving representatives from the Home Office, who previously had responsibility for the contract management of Parc, my Department, the Youth Justice Board and the National Offender Management Service. The provision of in-reach child and adolescent mental health services for young people has been an important issue for discussion, and has involved the Welsh Assembly Government in respect of the devolved responsibilities for health services in Wales.
	The clinical director and directorate manager of the child adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) directorate, Cwm Taf trust has been involved in work with Bridgend local health board to progress the development of mental health service provision to adolescents sent to Parc. A meeting held on 19 September was attended by representatives of Parc prison management, Parc prison health team (Primecare), Bridgend local health board, CAMHS directorate, Cwm Taf NHS trust and the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon).
	At the meeting it was agreed that a business base proposal would be developed for CAMHS provision in Parc in the form of an 'in reach' team similar to that currently provided by adult mental health services. It is intended that this proposal will be discussed at a forthcoming Bridgend Local Health Board Prison Health Partnership meeting for approval and will then be forwarded to the relevant NHS Wales bodies for funding and commissioning.

Parc Young Offender Institution

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will write to those juvenile courts which sentence young offenders to sentences at Parc Young Offender Institution to inform them of the absence of inreach child and adolescent mental health services at that institution; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: It is the responsibility of the Youth Justice Board to allocate placements to young people who are sentenced to custody, taking into account factors such as vulnerability, other individual needs and distance from home. The courts do not play any part in that process.
	At a recent meeting it was agreed that a business base proposal would be developed for the child adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provision in Parc in the form of an 'in reach' team similar to that currently provided by adult mental health services. It is intended that this proposal will be discussed at a forthcoming Bridgend Local Health Board Prison Health Partnership meeting for approval and will then be forwarded to the relevant NHS Wales bodies for funding and commissioning.

Prisoners: Employment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours on average prisoners spent on  (a) work,  (b) other purposeful activity and  (c) out of cell each week (i) in July 2008, (ii) in July 2007, (iii) in July 2006, (iv) in July 2005, (v) in July 2004, (vi) in July 2003, (vii) on each day of the latest week for which figures are available and (viii) on each Friday of the last four months for which figures are available in each (A) adult (1) male and (2) female prison and (B) (I) male and (II) female young offender institution in England and Wales.

David Hanson: The average number of weekly hours of work and other purposeful activity, per prisoner per week, for each of the months requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House due to the volume of the information. Weekday time out of cell data are collated centrally each month. Therefore, the average number of weekday hours out of cell per prisoner in each of the months requested is shown in the table that has been placed in the Libraries of the House
	Purposeful activity and time out of cell data are not collated on a daily basis. Therefore, data cannot be shown for each day of the latest week for which figures are available and on each Friday of the last four months for which figures are available.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of assaults upon prison officers in the course of their duties in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The following data is subject to important qualifications. The NOMS incident reporting system processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The numbers provide a good indication of overall numbers but should not be interpreted as absolute. There is a slight lag in reporting which means that the provisional number mentioned here will rise a little in the coming months.
	Data on incidents where one or more staff are victims is shown as follows. Figures provided are for calendar years from 2005 to end of September 2008 for comparison purposes.
	
		
			  Assault  incidents with staff as victim 
			   Number 
			 2005 3,170 
			 2006 3,150 
			 2007 2,930 
			 2008(1) 2,157 
			 (1) This is for the first nine months of 2008 only.  Note: From 2007, figures do not include the three prisons (Albany, Camphill and Parkhurst) where the incident recording has transferred to the NOMIS system. 
		
	
	Assault data is complex and the numbers need to be interpreted with caution. The numbers supplied refer to the number of individual assault incidents; these may also include threatening behaviour, projection of bodily fluids and other non-contact events and allegations. Information recorded as assault incidents may involve one or more victim.
	NOMS and the Prison Officers Association are jointly committed to 'zero tolerance' on assaults on staff. The Secretary of State for Justice has written to the Attorney-General and Home Secretary, both of whom are committed to pursing a robust and consistent approach to the involvement of the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in prosecuting such assaults. Along side working with the CPS and the police, enhanced guidance is also currently being developed by Police Advisers Section in NOMS headquarters on a much wider agenda of crime reporting in prisons. This guidance will address the subject of the reporting and investigation of allegations of assault on prison staff and aims to provide national consistency in classifying and responding to crime committed in prisons. The guidance will be an important step in making sure that the most serious incidents are referred to the police.
	Assault information is categorised and recorded at establishment level. The recorded incidents of assaults on prison officers are not completely exclusive to officers; establishment recording sometimes includes assaults on other prison staff in this category.

Voting Behaviour

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 9-11WS, on the consultation on weekend voting, whether he plans to pilot or introduce weekend voting in the 2009 European or local elections.

Michael Wills: No. The 'Election Day: Weekend Voting' consultation ended on 26 September. Analysis of the responses received is now under way. The evidence gathered will be used to inform the debate on the merits of moving polling day to the weekends The Government do not consider that it would be practicable to bring in the legislation necessary to introduce weekend voting for the 2009 European or local elections.

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day he has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Gordon Brown: My Office aims to answer all ordinary written parliamentary questions within five working days, and named day written parliamentary questions on the day named.
	Since the start of the current parliamentary session 96 per cent. of named day questions were answered on the day named.

Ministers: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister how many Ministers do not receive a Ministerial salary; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of maintaining their  (a) private office,  (b) staff,  (c) driver and  (d) car.

Gordon Brown: I refer my right hon. Friend to the ministerial appointments press notices released by my Office. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and are also available on the No 10 website:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/press-notices.

National Economic Council

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister in what capacity the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform attended the first meeting of the National Economic Council on 6 October; and if he will publish the full minutes of each meeting of the Council on his departmental website and that of HM Treasury.

Gordon Brown: The National Economic Council meets in private. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Mandelson) is a member.

Security and Intelligence Committee: Manpower

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 883W, on the Security and Intelligence Committee: manpower, what the reasons are for not naming the clerk of the Intelligence and Security Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 883W.

Pensions: Mining

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual cost to his Department of disregarding pensions payable to former miners for the purpose of benefit entitlement calculations.

Rosie Winterton: Miners pensions are treated in the same way as other occupational pensions in the calculation of benefit entitlement. The information necessary to estimate the cost of changing current benefit rules to fully disregard miners' pensions is not available.

Rent Service

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the consequences of the decision of the House of Lords in R (on the application of Heffernan) v the Rent Service [2008] UKHL 58 on the Rent Service's approach to the determination of broad market rental areas; what action he plans to take following that decision; and if he will make a statement;

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the Rent Service to complete its review of procedures resulting from the Heffenden judgment.

James Purnell: holding answer 8 October 2008
	Following the judgment in the case of R (on the application of Heffernan)  v. The Rent Service, The Rent Service have revised their guidance to rent officers on the setting of locality boundaries. The Department for Work and Pensions and The Rent Service are working closely together to consider the wider implications of the judgment. The Rent Service aims to be in a position to provide details of their plans to recommence their rolling programme of reviews at the end of October 2008.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the  (a) carbon dioxide and  (b) nitrogen oxide emissions output of each fleet model of aircraft which (i) uses and (ii) is expected within the next 10 years to use (A) Heathrow and (B) other designated airports.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The data is not readily available by aircraft type. However, the analysis underpinning the consultation on adding capacity at Heathrow used certification data on the emissions of oxides of nitrogen by aircraft type. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) hosts the databank of certification data for jet aircraft which is available at
	http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=702&pagetype=90
	Similar data was also estimated for aircraft fleets in various future scenarios at Heathrow. The results of this work can be viewed at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/heathrow consultation/
	Similarly CO2 emissions from aircraft, at fleet level, are addressed at section 6 of annex B of the above report. These are based on forecasts of UK air passenger demand and UK aviation CO2 emissions published by the DFT in November 2007. The document can be viewed at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/airpassdemandfullreport.pdf

Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of staff in  (a) her Department and  (b) the executive agencies for which she is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in her (i) Department and (ii) executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 8 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 651-57W.

London Underground

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Mayor of London and  (b) Transport for London over future funding of the London Underground; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The then Secretary of State (Ruth Kelly) made a written statement to the House on the future funding of London transport as a whole on 6 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 74-75WS, the position of which remains unchanged. Departmental officials continue to hold regular meetings with Transport for London (TfL) to monitor spending and pressures across the TfL estate, including London Underground.

Motor Vehicles: Taxation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely effects of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's free prize draw for online customers on the number of people who renew their vehicle tax at their local post office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Post Office® Ltd. has, through regular discussions, been made fully aware of DVLA plans for electronic vehicle licensing and the volumes forecast to continue transacting through Post Office® branches.
	There was no separate impact assessment ahead of the prize draw as this had already been built into the transaction forecasts and shared with Post Office® Ltd. This information has been incorporated into Post Office® Ltd.'s plans for their branch network through to 2011. There has been no reduction in the number of Post Office® branches issuing tax discs for DVLA.

Railways: Infrastructure

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's policy is on encouraging separation of train and station operations from infrastructure maintenance and renewals.

Paul Clark: It is generally accepted that the structures put in place at privatisation were flawed. The 2004 Rail White Paper and 2005 Railways Act set out a new streamlined structure, which meets the requirements of the European Commission's First Rail Package, to deliver safer, more reliable railways that work efficiently. The new arrangements provide much-needed stability for the industry as a whole.

Tolls: Humber Bridge

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the level of toll charges on the Humber Bridge.

Paul Clark: The Humber Bridge Board have recently put forward a proposal to raise tolls under Section 10 of the Humber Bridge Act 1971. The Board have undertaken a consultation giving the opportunity for anyone to register objections with the Department for Transport. The deadline for objections was 6 October. The Secretary of State must now decide, in line with the relevant legislation, whether to order a public inquiry before considering a decision on Humber Bridge Board's application.

Armed Forces: Resignations

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) officers,  (b) non-commissioned officers or equivalent ranks and  (c) other ranks or equivalent left (i) the Royal Navy, (ii) the Royal Marines, (iii) the Army and (iv) the Royal Air Force in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many from each of the above rank categories in each service were involuntarily discharged.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 8 October 2008
	The following table shows the number of trained officers, non-commissioned officers (NGOs) or equivalent ranks and other ranks or equivalent that left the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force Regular Forces(1) in each of the last five financial years.
	(1) UK Regular Forces exclude Gurkhas, Full -Time Reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists.
	
		
			  All Outflow   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Royal Navy Total 2,890 2,960 2,680 2,650 (1)2,580 
			  Officers 350 380 400 (1)370 (1)410 
			  NCOs(2) 1,290 1,300 1,080 (1)1,080 (1)1,130 
			  Other Ranks(3) 1,250 1,280 1,200 1,1901 (1)1,050 
			 Royal Marines Total 550 630 620 560 (1)540 
			  Officers 30 40 30 (1)30 (1)50 
			  NCOs(2) 200 220 230 (1)170(1) (1)180 
			  Other Ranks(3) 320 370 360 (1)350(1) (1)300 
			 Royal Air Force Total 3,460 3,270 4,340 4,740 (1)4,430 
			  Officers 580 640 670 800 (1)720 
			  NCOs(2) 1,560 1,390 2,010 2,590 (1)2,270 
			  Other Ranks(3) 1,320 1,240 1,660 1,350 (1)1,440 
			 Army Total 9,570 10,740 10,500 (1)10,930 (1)10,470(1) 
			  Officers 780 900 980 (1)1,110 (1)1,160 
			  NCOs(2) 4,420 5,090 5,450 (1)5,300 (1)5,360 
			  Other Ranks(3) 4,370 4,750 4,080 (1)4,520 (1)3,950 
			 (1) Provisional (2) Non-Commissioned Officers are Ratings at Leading Hand and above in the Royal Navy, Ratings at Lance Corporal and above in the Royal Marines, Soldiers at Lance Corporal and above in the Army and Airmen at Corporal and above in the Royal Air Force. ( 3) Other ranks have been classified as ratings of able rate in the Royal Navy, ratings at Marine in the Royal Marines, Private and Junior Soldiers in the Army and Junior Technician/Leading/Senior Aircraftsmen in the Royal Air Force.  Source:  DASA (Quad-Service) 
		
	
	The following table shows the number of trained officers, non-commissioned officers (NCOs) or equivalent ranks and other ranks or equivalent that were involuntarily discharged(1) from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force Regular Forces(2) in each of the last five financial years.
	(1) Involuntarily discharged is defined as all types of outflow excluding voluntary outflow. Personnel who leave the armed forces voluntarily before the end of their agreed engagement or commission period are classed as voluntary outflow.
	(2) UK Regular Forces exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists.
	
		
			  Involuntarily Discharged   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Royal Navy Total 1,380 1,320 1,210 (1)1,070 930 
			  Officers 200 230 230 (1)180 (1)160 
			  NCOs(2) 750 670 530 (1)510 (1)450 
			  Other Ranks(3) 430 420 450 (1)380 (1)320 
			 Royal Marines Total 210 250 200 (1)170 150 
			  Officers 20 30 10 (1)10 (1)20 
			  NCOs(2) 120 120 90 (1)80 (1)80 
			  Other Ranks(3) 80 100 90 (1)80 (1)50 
			 Royal Air Force(4) Total 1,820 1,540 2,270 2,840 (1)2,500 
			  Officers 380 410 430 540 (1)460 
			  NCOs(2) 790 640 1,260 1,860 (1)1,460 
			  Other Ranks(3) 640 500 580 440 (1)580 
			 Army Total 4,570 5,330 5,300 n/a n/a 
			  Officers 280 370 390 n/a n/a 
			  NCOs 1,930 2,310 2,760 n/a n/a 
			  Other Ranks 2,360 2,640 2,150 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Provisional (2) Non-Commissioned Officers are ratings at Leading Hand and above in the Royal Navy, Ratings at Lance Corporal and above in the Royal Marines, Soldiers at Lance Corporal and above in the Army and Airmen at Corporal and above in the Royal Air Force. (3) Other ranks have been classified as ratings of able rate in the Royal Navy, ratings at Marine in the Royal Marines, Private and Junior Soldiers in the Army and Junior Technician/Leading/Senior Aircraftsmen in the Royal Air Force. (4) Due to the ongoing validation of the Joint Personnel Administration System, Army reasons for exit, including voluntary outflow, are currently unavailable for financial years 2006-07 onwards.  Source:  DASA (Quad-Service) 
		
	
	Due to ongoing validation of data from the Joint Personnel Administration System, all Naval Service and Army flow statistics for financial year 2006-07 and 2007-08 and all RAF flow statistics for financial year 2007-08 are provisional and subject to review.
	Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Wales

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on its tuberculosis health check programme.

Jane Kennedy: Responsibility for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is fully devolved and bTB policy in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
	However officials in my Department are in regular contact with those in the Welsh Assembly Government on bTB-related matters.

Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of the organisations that were originally proposed to be included in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme will now no longer be included as a consequence of the qualifying threshold being doubled from 3,000 to 6,000 megawatt hours of annual electricity consumption;
	(2)  what proportion of  (a) Government departments,  (b) executive agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies will be included in the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The threshold for electricity consumption through half hourly meters was increased from 3,000 to 6,000 megawatt hours (MWh) per annum in order to help ensure that participants who are large energy consumers see net benefits from the scheme in reduced energy bills if they acted to reduce their energy consumption.
	It is estimated that the 6,000 MWh threshold will include 95 per cent. of the emissions that would be covered by the 3,000 MWh threshold. It is difficult to assess accurately the number of organisations that this relates to because of the lack of accurate energy consumption data aggregated to organisation level (for example, organisations and their subsidiaries may have several electricity suppliers). The number of organisations at a 6,000 MWh threshold may not be substantially different from that at 3,000 MWh, and is thought to be at the high end of a wide range of 2,000-5,000. The analysis demonstrating the range of estimates made can be seen in the partial regulatory impact assessment (RIA), published on 6 July 2007. This is available to view on DEFRA'S website.
	All central Government Departments, irrespective of whether they meet the qualification threshold, will participate in the carbon reduction commitment (CRC).
	In general, Government Departments and their statutory delivery bodies will participate in CRC as separate entities where they meet the qualifying threshold. However, those Government sponsored bodies that do not have separate legal status will participate under their parent Government Department—in practice this generally means executive agencies and possibly some smaller advisory/tribunal non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs).
	We will not know exactly what proportion of executive agencies and NDPBs will be included in CRC until the formal registration process for the scheme is under way in 2009.

Carbon Sequestration: Brazil

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Brazil on the inclusion of provisions on carbon capture and storage in the Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The Secretary of State has not yet had any meetings with the government of Brazil on the subject of carbon capture and storage (CCS). General discussions on the potential for CCS and possible approaches to financing, including the Clean Development Mechanism, have taken place at official level.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Jonathan R Shaw: I will place in the Library the names of each organisation that supplied goods and services to the core-Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the core-Department's financial database. However, these organisations comprise a mixture of companies and sole traders and it would be a disproportionate cost to separate out the addresses of companies from those of individuals sufficient and necessary to ensure DEFRA complies with its obligations under the provisions of the Data Protection Act.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the annual average time taken by households to sort domestic rubbish so that it may be recycled; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: No such estimate has been made by Defra.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities  (a) are considering,  (b) are piloting,  (c) are planning to move to and  (d) have moved to household waste collections where residual rubbish is collected (i) once every three weeks and (ii) once every month, according to records held by (A) his Department and (B) the Waste and Resources Action Programme; and what guidance or support has been produced on the issue.

Jane Kennedy: Neither Defra nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) hold any records on the information requested. However, neither body is aware of any local authority in this position.
	Neither Defra nor WRAP has produced any guidance or provided any support on this issue.

Floods

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the number of  (a) households,  (b) deprived households and  (c) rural households at risk from flooding, broken down by local authority area.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 17 September 2008
	The National Flood Risk Assessment undertaken in 2006 by the Environment Agency identified the number of properties in areas that are at risk from flooding across England and Wales. This data was broken down by each local authority. The number of deprived households or rural households at risk in each local authority area was not assessed as part of this work. The flood risk in areas of deprivation was, however, considered in the Environment Agency's research project "Addressing Environmental Inequalities: Flood Risk" published in March 2006.

Floods: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with other Departments on the likely effects of the Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 scheme on Canvey Island's  (a) public safety and  (b) proposed levels of future building.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 8 October 2008
	Discussions regarding the Thames Estuary 2100 (TS2100) project have been held with the Communities and Local Government through the Thames High Level Steering Group. The Environment Agency's TE2100 project recommends that flood risk is managed to keep pace with rising seas caused by climate change. This work is being undertaken at a strategic level and detailed discussions of public safety on Canvey Island have not yet taken place. Any proposals arising from the TE2100 project will fully address public safety.
	Future development on Canvey Island is not a factor that the TE2100 Project has been tasked to consider; this is a matter that the local planning authority will address in drawing up their local development framework. Any future development will need to be strategically assessed for flood risk and therefore in accordance with Planning Policy Statement 25.

Floods: Insurance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support his Department provides to households to assist with measures required to become eligible for flood insurance cover.

Jane Kennedy: Currently there is no Government grant scheme offering assistance to those wishing to install property-level resistance and resilience measures.
	On 30 July 2008 Defra launched a consultation on options to increase the use of property-level measures to mitigate the impacts of flooding for homes that have a high chance of flooding every year. The consultation builds on the grants pilot scheme that Defra recently completed.
	Under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 local authorities have some flexibility in providing discretionary assistance for repairs and adaptations. It is for local authorities to decide the circumstances in which to give discretionary assistance and what form that assistance may take (e.g. grants, loans, equity release schemes etc.).

Floods: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the likelihood of flooding at North Leverton and North Wheatley primary schools.

Jane Kennedy: The responsibility for carrying out flood risk assessments for North Leverton and North Wheatley primary schools lies with the education authority and local authority.
	The Environment Agency were contacted in July 2007 by MHI Design requesting flood risk information on a number of school sites including North Leverton and North Wheatley. The Environment Agency recommended that robust flood protection measures should be incorporated into any refurbishment of either school, if refurbishment was deemed to be the way forward by the education authority and local authority.
	MHI Design subsequently submitted a Simple Flood Risk Assessment and Evacuation Plan for temporary accommodation for North Wheatley primary school, to which the Environment Agency had no objection.

Fly Tipping: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much funding his Department received for the detection and prosecution of flytipping in each year from 2002 to 2008; and what funding is planned for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11;
	(2)  what proportion of revenue from landfill tax was allocated to the Environment Agency for the detection and prosecution of flytipping in each year from 2002 to 2008; and what proportion is planned for  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 6 October 2008
	 The Environment Agency received £2 million per year from 2005-08 under the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste Programme funded by Landfill Tax receipts to tackle illegal waste activity. The focus of these projects was to reduce the level of illegal dumping and improve the detection of offenders.
	This programme has been extended and is now funded through the Resource Efficiency and Carbon Programme £1.5 million has been allocated for 2008-09 and 2009-10. Funding for 2010-11 has yet to be determined.

Weedkillers

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 435W, on manure, what representations he has received on the withdrawal of the provisional authorisation of aminopyralid.

Hilary Benn: The first representation relating to withdrawal was received by the Pesticides Safety Directorate's helpline on 25 June 2008. 10 such representations had been received up to 8 September 2008. Ministers have also received around 30 letters which made some reference to withdrawal.

Wildlife: Environment Protection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps the Government have taken to reduce the harmful effects of pesticides on wildlife.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The rigorous EU scientific process for approval of pesticide active substances and the supporting national processes for individual products protect human health and the environment, including wildlife, providing products are used in accordance with the approval and any related conditions of approval. My Department is currently considering whether it is necessary to use further powers contained in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to prohibit the possession of certain pesticide ingredients that may be harmful to wildlife.
	Monitoring of pesticide poisoning cases is carried out through the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme which investigates any reported cases of suspected pesticide poisoning. Published data from this scheme shows that, of those cases where a cause can be attributed to pesticides, the vast majority arise from abuse or misuse.

10 Downing Street

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1704W, on staff: 10 Downing Street 
	(1)  which companies employ the members of staff working in the Cabinet Office seconded in from outside the Civil Service; and how many employees are seconded by each;
	(2)  what the  (a) job descriptions and  (b) daily rates of pay are for the agency staff and consultants working in the Cabinet Office;
	(3)  what the job titles are of the fee-paid staff; and what daily fees the fee-paid staff are paid;
	(4)  how many of the 87 members of FTE staff working in the Cabinet Office not employed by the Civil Service are staff seconded in from outside the Civil Service;
	(5)  if he will break down the staff numbers by employment type;
	(6)  how many of these staff are paid for by organisations other than the Government; and which organisations pay for them in each case.

Tom Watson: Due to the wide ranging and topical nature of Cabinet Office work, we require a flexible resourcing model which allows us to bring in and move out skills and expertise as the business demands. Consequently, we use a mixture of non-permanent employment contracts including secondments from .outside the civil service, consultants, fixed term appointments, fee-paid and agency staff.
	As at 31 December 2007, there were 87 members of staff (FTE) working in the Cabinet Office who were not employed by the civil service. This figure included staff seconded in from outside the civil service, fee-paid staff, agency staff and consultants but excluded service contractors. The breakdown was as follows:
	
		
			  Employment type  Number FTEs 
			 Secondees to Cabinet Office 14.4 
			 Agency staff 30.4 
			 Consultants 22.5 
			 Contractors 8.2 
			 Fee-paid staff 12.2 
			   
			 Total 87.7 
		
	
	All of these staff are paid for by the Cabinet Office.
	Complete records of staff working in the Cabinet Office but being paid for by another organisation are not held centrally.
	Of the 87 FTE staff not employed by the Cabinet Office, 14.4 FTE staff were seconded-in from outside the civil service, as at 31 December 2007. These are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Secondment organisation  Number employees (FTE) 
			 Stanton Marris 1 
			 The Work Foundation 1 
			 SOCA 1 
			 Surrey County Council 1 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 1 
			 Macclesfield Council 1 
			 National Centre for Social Research 0.4 
			 Essex Police 1 
			 House of Commons 1 
			 Audit Commission 1 
			 FCO 1 
			 The Bank of England 1 
			 House of Lords 3 
		
	
	Job titles and remuneration details for each person employed in a consultancy, fee paid or agency capacity are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Recordings

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1046W, on departmental recordings 
	(1)  what records are kept by the Cabinet Office website or IT team of the videos stored on the departmental intranet;
	(2)  whether videos used by the Cabinet Office are produced by the Department or by others.

Tom Watson: Videos used by the Cabinet Office are produced through a partnership agreement with the Central Office of Information (COI). The majority of these films are for internal use only. Central records of all films produced across the Cabinet Office are not kept.
	The following information is recorded in respect of films uploaded onto the departmental intranet:
	category;
	creator of the film;;
	CO unit;
	date submitted;
	the title of the film;
	keywords; and
	description.
	The system also records the number of viewings for each film as they occur.
	If more complex films are required management units can source other film production companies. They may also use COI's film production unit.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his  (a) EU and  (b) UN Security Council member counterparts on the situation in Darfur.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN have had regular discussions with EU and UN Security Council partners on the Darfur peace process and the deployment of the UN-Africa Union peacekeeping mission, including most recently at the UN General Assembly in New York on 24-27 September. The Foreign Secretary, on his visit to Khartoum on 9 July, also raised the situation in Darfur with President Bashir of Sudan.

Eco-Towns: Planning

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether full planning inquiries will be held into eco-town proposals which are not already allocated in local authority structure plans, local development frameworks or regional spatial strategies.

Iain Wright: The processes for the preparation of a regional spatial strategy and for development plan documents which form part of the local development framework, provide for an independent examination to be held. where proposals for eco-towns are identified in either the regional spatial strategy or in development plan documents these would form part of the considerations at independent examination.
	As is the case with any other proposal, planning applications for eco-towns will be decided on their merits, firstly by the local planning authority. If the application is refused planning consent and subsequently appealed by the applicant, the appeal would be handled by the Planning Inspectorate. One of the ways of hearing the appeal would be through a planning inquiry.

Housing Associations: Fraud

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the level of fraud perpetuated against housing associations.

Iain Wright: The Housing Corporation has issued guidance to registered social landlords (RSLs) (Circular 07/07—Internal Controls Assurance) which states that RSLs should report cases of actual or attempted fraudulent activity to the relevant field director at the Corporation at the earliest opportunity. The report should include actions taken or to be taken by the RSL. Each regional office of the Housing Corporation maintains a list of fraudulent activity that has been reported to them.
	In June 2008, the Corporation had a record of 107 cases of fraud/attempted fraud reported to them by RSLs in the last three years. Of these, 36 cases were still under investigation in June. The total amount of fraud in the 107 cases equates to £3,540,082, although this figure is subject to variation where the value of the fraud is not known or an estimate of the value has been provided by the RSL. In the majority of cases where the outcome of an investigation is known, funds were recovered.

Housing: Ex-servicemen

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many ex-service personnel in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were registered as council tenants in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many ex-service personnel in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were registered as homeless in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Information about the number of ex-service personnel who are council tenants is not collected centrally.
	Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level, in respect of households rather than individuals. The parliamentary constituency of Jarrow falls within two local authority districts: South Tyneside and Gateshead.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure suitable accommodation).
	Since 2005-06, data has been collected on the number of accepted households whose reason for loss of last settled home was having left HM Forces. Data for England, the North East, and the districts of South Tyneside and Gateshead are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Main reason for loss of last settled home due to having left HM Forces 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 England 268 204 218 
			 North East 41 27 32 
			 
			 South Tyneside 1 0 3 
			 Gateshead (1)— 17 16 
			 (1 )Data not reported.   Source:  Quarterly P1E homelessness return. 
		
	
	Information about homeless acceptances is also collected by category of "priority need" of the applicant. This includes applicants who have priority need primarily because they are vulnerable as a result of having served in HM Forces. This data is shown in the following table, for the same areas:
	
		
			  Household accepted with primary priority need of being vulnerable as result of having served in HM Forces 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 England 104 95 73 53 36 
			 North East 17 17 14 14 11 
			   
			 South Tyneside 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Gateshead (1)— (1)— (1)— 9 8 
			 (1)( )Data not reported.   Source:  Quarterly P1E homelessness return. 
		
	
	The two sets of figures above will overlap because some homeless acceptances who are ex-service personnel will fall within both (that is, in priority need because they were vulnerable as a result of having served in HM Forces, and the reason for loss of their last settled home is due to leaving Forces accommodation).
	It is also likely that some ex-service personnel will be hidden within other priority need categories (for example the presence of dependent children) or other reasons for loss of last settled home (for example, having to leave the family home), and so will not be identifiable in the above figures. It is therefore not possible to identify what proportion of all homeless acceptances are ex-service personnel.
	Local authorities who conduct rough sleeper counts collect information on any individuals sleeping rough, and these are published annually on our website. Figures include those rough sleepers who have previously served in HM Forces, but these are not shown separately.
	Rough sleeping among ex-armed forces personnel has dropped. There is no specific data for 1997 but studies at the time suggested between a quarter and one fifth of rough sleepers had been in the armed forces at some stage. There is specific information for London provided under the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) recording system. In 2006-07, for those rough sleepers in London contacted by services, 5 per cent. had spent some time in the armed forces in the past. This has remained consistent over the last four years.
	The Ministry of Defence provides advice and support to veterans with housing problems. All ex-service personnel facing homelessness are advised to contact the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency via its free phone helpline or Veterans UK website to access specific help.

Housing: South East

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's latest estimate is of the number of new homes required to be built in the South East region; and how many of these homes are required to fulfil housing need for those living in the South East region.

Iain Wright: Figures for housing provision are set out in Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS). Build rates set out in the current RSS are 29,500 per year in the south-east region. The Government are currently consulting on their Proposed Changes to a replacement RSS, which sets out a figure of 33,125 dwellings per year to be built up to 2026.
	The latest 2004 based household projections showed a need for around 35,900 new dwellings in the south-east. The number of additional households to be formed by net migration is estimated at the England level only. These estimates show that 223,000 households will form per year from 2004 to 2026 in England, of which 73,000 (33 per cent.) will be attributable to net migration.
	Work carried out for the South East of England Regional Assembly, which prepared the draft RSS now subject to consultation suggested that around two-thirds of new homes built in the region would be occupied by those already in the south-east.

Housing: South East

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the demand for new homes in  (a) the South East Region and  (b) other regions from (i) UK nationals already living in the South East Region, (ii) UK nationals living outside the South East Region, (iii) European Union citizens and (iv) citizens of other countries.

Iain Wright: The latest 2004 based household projections showed a need for around 35,900 new dwellings in the south-east. The number of additional households projected to be formed by net migration is estimated at the England level only. These estimates show that 223,000 households are projected to be formed per year from 2004 to 2026 in England, of which 73,000 (33 per cent.) will be attributable to net migration.
	Work by the South East of England Regional Assembly, which prepared the draft RSS, suggested that around two-thirds of new homes built in the region would be occupied by those already in the south-east.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1635-36W on housing: sustainable development, if she will assess whether it would be possible for a home using any tumble dryer currently available on the market to achieve over 90 per cent. of the credits available within the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Iain Wright: Yes, providing that it is rated either A or B, which there a number available on the market. To achieve code level 6 the house builder must achieve at least 90 per cent. of all the available credits within the code and all the mandatory elements. To achieve the credits within the "Energy Labelled White Goods" (Ene 5) category of the code, either a washer dryer or a tumble dryer that has at least a B rating under the EU Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme must be installed or information on the EU Energy Labelling Scheme is provided to each dwelling. There is also a credit available within the code for providing a space for air drying clothes.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to respond to the letter to her dated 22nd July from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Miss C. Doran.

Sadiq Khan: A response has now been sent to my right hon. Friend.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what area of land situated on the western border of the M1 in the Milton Keynes Unitary authority area is currently subject to  (a) outline and  (b) detailed planning permission; and what percentage this represents of all land in that area.

Sadiq Khan: This information is not held by central Government, as detailed monitoring of planning permissions is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.
	Information on extant planning permissions for housing and employment development across the whole authority area will be available from the council's local development framework annual monitoring report. Milton Keynes council should be able to supply more detailed information if required.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bodies are the planning authorities for the land  (a) on the eastern boundary of the M1 and  (b) on the western boundary of the M1 in the Milton Keynes Unitary authority area.

Sadiq Khan: Milton Keynes borough council is the planning authority for land to the east of the Ml within the Milton Keynes Unitary Authority area. It is also planning authority for areas west of the Ml motorway within the Unitary Authority area, except for areas where the Milton Keynes Partnership exercises planning controls, as set out in the Milton Keynes (Urban Area and Planning Functions) Order of 2004.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the  (a) number and  (b) cost of additional bridges required to cross the M1 to facilitate the proposed development in the latest edition of the South East Plan east of the M1 in Milton Keynes.

Sadiq Khan: The Government's proposed changes to the draft South East are currently out for consultation, and views are being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October.
	The South East Plan will provide a broad development strategy for the region for a 20 year period. Once completed, this overarching strategy will be taken forward by more local and detailed planning strategies, implementation plans and development schemes, each of which will make an assessment of the level of infrastructure needed to support new development. For this reason it is not possible to state the number or cost of any new bridges required to support potential development east of the Ml at Milton Keynes.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effects of development east of the M1 proposed in the most recent revisions of the South East Plan on traffic congestion on key routes into Milton Keynes, with particular reference to junctions 13 and 14 of the M1.

Sadiq Khan: The draft South East Plan is intended to provide a broad development strategy for the region for a 20 year period, and as such it is not possible to forecast the precise impacts of new development at this strategic scale. More detailed matters including the planning and delivery of infrastructure requirements will be addressed through local development frameworks produced by local authorities in partnership with the development industry. Any new proposals would be expected to meet Government policy requirements to support public transport and assist modal shift from car-based transport.
	Government are currently inviting views on their proposed changes to the draft South East Plan and would welcome any comments submitted by the closing date of 24 October.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the latest proposed revision of the South East Plan has preferred development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes Unitary authority area over development to the south east and south west of the city.

Sadiq Khan: The document setting out the Government's Proposed Changes to the draft South East Plan contains a schedule of reasons for the changes, including a section on development east of the Ml motorway at Milton Keynes. These proposed changes are currently out for public consultation and views are being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October. Copies can be viewed in the House of Commons Library or obtained from the Government Office for the South East.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from the Milton Keynes Partnerships on the proposed development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes contained in the most recent version of the South East Plan.

Sadiq Khan: The South East Plan remains in draft form, and consultation on proposed changes to the plan is currently underway. Any representations to the draft consultation will need to be made through the formal consultation process, where they will be taken into account when Government finalise the plan. The closing date for comments to be made is 24 October. No representations have yet been received from Milton Keynes Partnership.

Planning: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account was taken of views of local residents in the decision to approve the proposed development east of the M1 in Milton Keynes as part of the proposed revision of the South East Plan.

Sadiq Khan: Development east of the M1 motorway at Milton Keynes is included in the Government's 'Proposed Changes' to the draft South East Plan. These proposed changes are currently out for public consultation and views are now being sought. The closing date for comments is 24 October. Copies can obtained from the Government office for the south-east (GOSE) or accessed through the GOSE website
	www.gose.gov.uk.

Rates and Rating: Ports

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with other Departments on the issuing of backdated bills by the Valuation Office Agency in respect of the change from prescriptive rating of docks and harbours to rating by conventional methods.

John Healey: Departments' are in contact all the time, in the interests of gathering information about the impacts of Government policies, including between officials from Communities and Local Government, Treasury and Department of Transport on this matter.

Rented Housing: Private Sector

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the outcome of the Review of Private Rented Sector Housing announced by the former Housing and Planning Minister on 23rd January 2008 will be published.

Iain Wright: The Review of the Private Rented Sector, carried out by Julie Rugg and David Rhodes at the Centre for Housing Policy at the university of York, will be published on 23 October 2008.

Terrorism

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the implementation of point 11 of the then Prime Minister's 12-point counter-terrorism plan issued in August 2005.

Sadiq Khan: On progress against the 12 point plan, I refer the hon. Member to the update provided by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1594W.
	On the consultation referred to in point 11 in the 12 point plan, I refer the hon. Member to the statement laid by the then Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Charles Clarke) on 15 December 2005. The Department for Communities and Local Government is supporting Muslim communities to build the resilience of mosques and Muslim faith leaders to violent extremism. I refer the hon. Member to a document published by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 18 July 2008: 'Preventing Violent Extremism: Next Steps for Communities'. I have placed a copy of the document in the Library of the House.

Urban Areas: Research

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 345W, on the INTERREG programme: finance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the final report or conclusions of the POLYNET project.

John Healey: The Department has investigated the scope to place a copy of the book "The Polycentric Metropolis", which contains the conclusions of the Polynet project, in the Library. However, I am informed that the book is not a Government publication. It was written and edited by Peter Hall and Kathy Pain and was published by Earthscan Publications Ltd. in July 2006. Electronic copies of the book are unavailable. Hard copies of the book, priced £99, may be ordered online from them at:
	http://www.earthscan.co.uk

Humanitarian Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the principles of good practice in humanitarian aid are to which donors commit in the good humanitarian donorship process.

Michael Foster: In June 2003, 17 donor governments met in Stockholm, and endorsed 23 principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship. These principles state that their humanitarian work will be;
	Guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence;
	Promote adherence to international humanitarian, refugee and human rights law;
	Ensure flexible, timely and predictable funding
	Allocate funding in proportion to needs;
	Involve beneficiaries in the design and evaluation of humanitarian response;
	Strengthen local capacity to prevent, prepare for and mitigate crises;
	Support the UN, the Red Cross and NGOs; and affirm the primacy of civilian organisations in humanitarian action;
	Support learning and accountability initiatives, and encourage regular evaluation;
	The 23 principles of good humanitarian donorship are listed in full on the Good Humanitarian Donorship website:
	http://www.goodhumanitariandonorship.org/

Iraq: Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government has taken to improve the education system in Iraq.

Douglas Alexander: Since 2003, the Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any direct financial assistance to develop the education sector in Iraq. We have, however, contributed £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI), which encompasses two trust funds administered by the United Nations and World Bank. 25 donors have committed over $1.8 billion to IRFFI since 2003. This money has been used to provide assistance in a range of sectors and development projects across Iraq. In the education sector, the UN has now allocated from IRFFI $190 million and the World Bank $106 million on 29 projects which include the rehabilitation of schools, the provision of essential text books, and the training of Iraqi teachers.

Iraq: Employment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent support the Government has given to the development of employment opportunities in Iraq.

Douglas Alexander: We believe that the best way to develop employment opportunities in Iraq is to support the Iraqis to stimulate economic growth through the private sector. To achieve this, the UK is supporting two institutions—the Basra Development Commission (BDC) and Basra Investment Commission (BIC). The Department for International Development (DFID) is also looking at ways to improve the availability of credit to small and medium sized enterprises.
	Co-chaired by Michael Wareing, the CEO of KPMG International, the BDC is bringing international and regional private sector expertise to Southern Iraq, and working on a range of economic projects. Most recently, the BDC launched a youth employment scheme (YES) which aims to provide an initial 500 vocational training placements for unemployed youths to work with local businesses, after which the businesses will offer them permanent employment. This scheme is modelled on best practice adopted by Business in the Community in the UK.
	The BDC is also working with the Iraqi National Investment Commission (NIC) to facilitate visits to Iraq for the investors interested in commercial opportunities—11 such visits have now taken place. These investors are looking at taking forward projects with a potential value in excess of $4 billion and employing 1,200 to 1,500 people in the first year alone.

Katacha: Overseas Aid

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's contribution to provision of food, medicine, education and army disengagement in the Katacha Homeland is.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development's (DFID) contributions in 2008 through the Common Humanitarian Fund for humanitarian and early recovery activities in Southern Kordofan are:
	
		
			   $ 
			 Education and culture 660,000 
			 Health and nutrition 1,076,000 
			 Security and livelihoods 1,191,000 
		
	
	It is not possible to disaggregate these figures for the Katcha homeland. DFID also contributes to the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), which in 2007 provided at least US$9 million for South Kordofan.
	The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has promoted and supported the integration of informal militia into the armed forces of the Northern and Southern Governments, as well as the redeployment of these forces. The UK Government have worked closely with UNMIS on this, including in Southern Kordofan, and provide financial support indirectly through their assessed contributions to the UN in New York.

Overseas Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the international development spending by the devolved administrations is included in his Department's calculation of the UK's total Official Development Assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UK's reporting of official development assistance (ODA) has included data on the Scottish Government's aid programme since 2005. No data are reported for the Welsh Assembly Government or the Northern Ireland Executive.

Palestinians: Humanitarian Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) amount and  (b) proportion of the Government's contribution to the additional humanitarian funding for the Palestinian Authority pledged by the European Union at the United Nations on Monday 22nd September is.

Douglas Alexander: The European Commission (EG) pledged an additional €82 million in financial support to the Palestinian Authority's budget, including €1 million in earmarked funding from Austria. It will be used to help pay for salaries and pensions, social allowances to vulnerable Palestinian families and fuel for the power plant to provide electricity to the people of Gaza.
	The UK's overall share of the EC budget for 2008 is 15.8 per cent., which implies that the UK share of the €81 million pledge is €12.8 million (£10.1 million). The UK has directly provided a further £50.45 million in bilateral financial support to the Palestinian Authority's budget in 2008.

South America: Research

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what companies are contracted to carry out the £50 million project for research and capacity building in Latin America and Asia; and how they were chosen.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) in partnership with the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have just completed scoping studies to identify priority themes and geographic locations for the proposed climate change adaptation in Asia and Latin
	America research programme. The Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET) carried out the Asia work. The Foundation for the Future of Latin America (Fundacion Futuro Lationoamerica - FFLA) carried out the Latin America work. Both organisations were contracted by IDRC. We are currently considering the results of these studies.
	DFID will be able to comment on plans for implementation when the detailed programme design is completed.

South Asia: Childbirth

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1042W, on South Asia: childbirth, what assessment he has made of the effects of his Department's funding for India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal on the proportion of births attended by a skilled attendant in those countries; what the child mortality rate has been in each country in each year since 1998-99; and what initiatives his Department has utilised to reduce child mortality and increase the provision of skilled attendants at birth in those countries.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides funding in South Asia to the governments of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh to strengthen health services. This includes initiatives to increase the provision of skilled attendants at birth, and to reduce infant and child mortality. For details of DFID funded programmes you may refer to my answer of 18 June 2008  Official Report, column 1042W.
	Currently close to half of women in India and a third of women in Pakistan are being assisted by a skilled birth attendant at delivery. There has been substantial progress since the early 1990s, when only one third of women in India and one fifth of women in Pakistan were assisted by a skilled birth attendant. Bangladesh and Nepal have also recorded improvements in skilled birth attendance rates over the past five years, in 2006 one fifth of women in these countries was delivered by a skilled birth attendant.
	DFID has been assessing progress in skilled birth attendants and reductions in infant and child mortality in partnership with country governments, UN and other development organizations. DFID support for assessment includes the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and district health and facility surveys in India. In Pakistan, the Federal Bureau of Statistics, and in Bangladesh, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR.B). In Nepal, maternal mortality and morbidity studies and vital registration systems. Progress on skilled birth attendance and child mortality rates for South Asia countries are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Country  Skilled birth attendant rates (%)  Under-five mortality (deaths per 1,000 live births) 
			
			 India   
			 1998-99 43 95 
			 2005-06 47 74 
			
			 Bangladesh   
			 1999-2000 12 94 
			 2006 20 65 
			
			 Pakistan   
			 1990-91 19 117 
			 2006-07 39(1) 94 
			
			 Nepal   
			 2001 11 91 
			 2006 19 61 
			 (1) The 18 June 2008 response to PQ 211728 referred to a figure of 54 per cent. of births in Pakistan attended by a skilled attendant. This is for first order births only. The figure for all births is 39 per cent.  Source:  Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal; National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India; Government of Bangladesh.

Child Benefit: Telephone Services

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the length of time is of the automated message on the Child Benefit Helpline; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: HMRC uses several different automated messages on the child benefit helpline. These include messages played when the customer is first connected, at particularly busy times and when the customer is held in a queue. The length of message varies from 10 seconds to 27 seconds.

Child Trust Fund

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with low incomes have not claimed the Child Trust Fund payment since 2005.

Ian Pearson: No families have failed to claim the child trust fund payment since 2005 as no claim is necessary. All UK resident children in a child benefit award, who are born on or after 1 September 2002 and who are not subject to immigration control, will have a child trust fund account.

Economic Situation: Bank Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the international banking turbulence on  (a) public sector pay policy,  (b) fuel prices,  (c) utility bills and  (d) food prices in the UK.

Ian Pearson: The Government will provide an updated assessment of developments and prospects for the UK and world economy, including prices, in the pre-Budget report, based on all relevant factors, as normal. The objectives of the Government's pay policy remains to recruit and retain high quality work forces; affordability and value for money for the tax payer; and consistency with achievement of the inflation target.

Economic Situation: Bank Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government has made of the number of UK employees who may be made redundant due to the recent uncertainty in the international banking sector, broken down by region.

Ian Pearson: Consistent with the practices of previous Governments, the Treasury does not publish labour market forecasts.

Economic Situation: Economic Growth

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect which would result from one per cent. lower growth in the economy in a year on the published annual deficit.

Angela Eagle: The latest public finance projections were published in Budget 2008. A full assessment of the impact of changes in the economic outlook on the public finances will be provided in the normal way in the forthcoming 2008 pre-Budget report.

Fireworks: Imports

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date a prosecution was last made against an importing company for giving false information to HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the licensed destination site for imported fireworks.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs prosecutions are undertaken by the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO). RCPO has advised that they have no record of any prosecution made under section 11 of The Fireworks Regulations 2004 against an importing company for giving false information to HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the licensed destination site for imported fireworks.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer the letter dated 26th August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on to Mr Raja Afzal, transferred to his Department from the Department of Work and Pensions.

Stephen Timms: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 880W, on departmental NDPBs, how many times his Department has been asked to approve  (a) capital projects of £6 million and above,  (b) gifts and non-statutory contingent liabilities of £100,000 and above,  (c) spending which exceeded limits set out in the relevant financial memoranda and  (d) spending which could have set a potentially expensive precedent, caused repercussions for others or which was novel or contentious by bodies which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport sponsor in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The Treasury keeps proposals for spending above delegated limits, and spending which would be novel and contentious, under review as part of an on-going discussion among officials. Detail of all discussions is not held centrally and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to review recent changes to  (a) business rates and  (b) empty properties relief in view of the current economic situation and its effect on small businesses.

Angela Eagle: The reforms to Empty Property Relief only come into effect in April 2008. The Government keep all taxes and reliefs under review.

Oil: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many litres of oil were recovered from sites producing illegal fuel oils in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available. Figures for all Northern Ireland fuel seizures are published in HMRG Autumn Performance Reports, available on the HMRC website at
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm.